12 common passport photo rejection reasons (2026)

The 12 reasons passport photos get rejected: what each looks like, how to fix it, and what a photo check can catch before you submit your application.

Where this list comes from

Passport photo rules build on ICAO 9303, and national authorities such as the US Department of State and HM Passport Office publish what they accept and reject. The same points come back again and again. This list collects them; it is not ranked by frequency. If your photo was rejected, the reason is very likely one of these.

1. Head too big or too small in the frame

What it looks like: The chin-to-crown height is outside your country's range, for example 32-36 mm in Germany, 26-30 mm in the Netherlands, or 1 to 1-3/8 inches in the US.

How to fix: Recompose or recrop so the face height lands inside the range for your country. Software that measures the face does this more reliably than cropping by eye.

2. Background not plain or the wrong colour

What it looks like: Visible texture, a shadow, a colour cast, or an object behind you. Or a colour your country does not accept, such as white in France.

How to fix: Use a plain wall lit from the front, or a service that replaces the background with the colour your country asks for (where that is allowed).

3. Glasses with reflection, tint or thick frames

What it looks like: Light catches the lenses and hides the eyes, or the frame covers part of the eye. Many countries, including the UK, the US, Germany and France, want glasses off altogether.

How to fix: Take your glasses off. Where they are allowed and you keep them on, avoid glare with soft light from the front. Never edit glare out afterwards.

4. Wrong expression: smile or open mouth

What it looks like: Mouth open, teeth showing, or a closed-mouth smile that lifts the cheeks. Most countries want a neutral face with the mouth closed and both eyes open.

How to fix: Relax your face, close your mouth, keep your eyes open. Breathe out before the photo; the face relaxes by itself.

5. Head tilted, turned or off-centre

What it looks like: Your eyes are not level, or your face is turned to one side.

How to fix: Square your shoulders to the camera and look straight at the lens. Software can level a small tilt of the eye line; a turned face needs a retake.

6. Shadows on the face or background

What it looks like: A shadow from the nose, under the chin, or behind a shoulder. Often caused by light from one side or from above.

How to fix: Use soft light from the front: face a window during the day, or put a lamp on each side. Avoid a single ceiling light.

7. Hair covering eyes, eyebrows or face edges

What it looks like: A fringe over the eyebrows, hair across one eye, or hair over the jawline. In some countries, such as France, the ears must be visible too.

How to fix: Pin or sweep your hair back so both eyes, both eyebrows and the edges of the face are visible.

8. Photo too old

What it looks like: The photo is older than your country allows (6 months in many countries, 1 month in the UK), or you look clearly different now.

How to fix: Take a new photo shortly before you apply.

9. Wrong size or resolution

What it looks like: The photo has the wrong dimensions in mm or pixels for your country or for the upload portal.

How to fix: Check the size your country asks for (35×45 mm in most of Europe, 2×2 inches in the US) and, for an online application, the portal's file rules.

10. Filters or retouching that change your features

What it looks like: A phone beauty mode smoothed the skin, enlarged the eyes or narrowed the jaw.

How to fix: Turn off all filters and beauty modes. Authorities reject photos that look altered.

11. Non-religious headwear or sunglasses

What it looks like: A hat, cap, headband or sunglasses. Religious headwear is allowed in most countries if the whole face stays visible; France is an exception.

How to fix: Remove all non-religious headwear. If you wear religious headwear, keep the face visible from chin to forehead.

12. Print problems

What it looks like: Banding, a colour shift, streaks, or thin paper. The photo looks fine on screen but prints badly.

How to fix: Print on proper photo paper at 100% scale. Problems like this mostly come from home printers.

What to do if your photo was rejected

Read the rejection notice. If it names a reason, it tells you which point above to fix.
Don't reuse the same photo. The underlying problem (head size, shadow, expression) is in the original photo, so take a new one.
Use a service with a money-back guarantee. That limits your loss if the new photo is rejected too.

Why a photo check helps

Many of these points can be measured in the photo: head size, background, glare, tilt, shadows, hair over the face, headwear. Our AI check scores 12 points like these before you pay. Photo age and print quality you still judge yourself.

Want your photo checked before you pay? start your passport photo with Foto2Pass. Full refund if the authority rejects the photo we delivered.